Devil May Care
by writersblock159
Summary: "...with the right incentive anyone will go back."
1. Say your Last Words in Silence

"_It's not every day I get a call like this."_

"_So you'll help?"_

"_I have a choice?"_

"_Not really."_

"_I didn't think so. You'll owe me for this."_

"_It'll go on your record as a good deed, count toward your end goal of not being burned for eternity when everything is done."_

"_If this is going on record, then I'm going to say that this is a mistake. This Ladybug doesn't need to be tested."_

"_You don't decide what happens to Ladybugs. That's our job. Your job is to make sure that what we want to happen happens."_

"_I feel so useful."_

"_Good."_

* * *

"_With every broken bone, I swear I lived."_

_OneRepublic - I Lived_

* * *

_So this is how it ends._ Marinette's thoughts were clear as day as she arced toward the fiery semi truck. _So slow._ The world moved at a snail's pace; her brain knew it was about to die and was slowing everything down, trying to give her a chance to escape. She could see Alya, phone pointed toward the action as usual. _God, Alya, look away. I'm not going to save myself this time._ She could see Chat, racing toward her mid-yell, disregarding his own safety, trying to reach her. _You stupid cat, save yourself, you can't take the hit for me this time. _Looking at her partner, she imagined what he would say in her situation. "_I'm about to be squished like a bug, my friend."_ The stupid feline would always make a pun, no matter the situation. The akuma was still following through with his throw. The spot of red at its feet caught her eyes. _Tikki always told me to hold on tight to my yoyo. I'm gonna miss you, little kwami_. She choked on a sob. _I'm sure you'll survive, little one. You seem to be made of sterner stuff than I._

Mortal. That was how she felt right now. Human, small, fragile; no matter what word she used, as Ladybug she had always felt invincible. In this interminable moment she was reminded that under the suit was flesh, blood, and a soul; and she was only human. She felt herself slowly tumble toward the fire, the heat beginning to burn her hair. She closed her eyes. _I'm sorry, Mom, Dad. I should have told you. I'm sorry, Alya. I couldn't be the hero you wanted. I'm sorry, Chat. You're on your own now. I'm so sorry, Tikki. I failed you. I'm sorry, Adrien, I never told you…_ Her eyes flew open in horror, barely registering the flames licking at her body. _I never told you where to meet me for the science project tonight!_ That was her last thought before she felt a flash of pain and then nothing.

* * *

Suddenly she could _feel_ every molecule of air, _taste _every flavor, _see_ more colors, and _hear_ everything. She heard Chat scream for Ladybug, and Alya's whisper begging her to get up. She watched as Chat ran through where she stood, his body rippling in different shades of black and grey as he stood over- was that a body? She saw him turn, his eyes full of rage. He raced toward the akumatized businessman, staff out, and smashed the briefcase in its hand. He ground the akuma under his heel until a pulse of black magic emanated from under his boot. Turning, he raced to the body, smoothly picked it up, and vaulted himself over the wreckage into the night. As Marinette moved to follow him, she noticed something. The body he carried was covered in a skintight red suit. As she opened her mouth to call him, she suddenly lost her balance as reality warped around her.

* * *

As her surroundings formed around her, Marinette was pleased to notice that her senses were no longer enhanced. Her new surroundings blurred into focus. The room reminded her of a corporate waiting room. The red satin couch matched the red carpet nearly perfectly in color, and the frame and end table were made of coal black driftwood. The walls were black marble with veins of gold running through them. Marinette squinted; she saw twinkling lights in the wall, then realized they were reflections. When she turned to see their source, she caught her breath.

The city below sprawled out in every direction, the lights gleaming in the night, and the streets bustling with activity. As Ladybug she had seen Paris many times from the top of the Eiffel tower, but now she was much higher, and this city was _much_ larger. As she scanned the skyline, she noticed different features; it definitely wasn't Paris. Marinette frowned. Not with that building, anyway.

"How can I help you?" said a voice.

Marinette jumped, startled. "H-hello?"

There, sitting in the corner, was a man at a large desk made of the same blackened wood as the rest of the furniture. "I assume you're here to see The Boss? I'll let him know you're here." He turned and typed something into the computer on his desk.

Marinette wasn't sure quite what to say. "Is that New York City?" she blurted out, motioning to the window.

"Right now? Yes." The man continued typing, unperturbed. "It follows the most sinful areas. Sometimes it's London, Dubai, or another major city. Mostly, it's Las Vegas." He chuckled. "Truly the city of sin." Turning from his computer, he handed her a piece of paper. "The Boss will see you now. Head in there." He gestured to the elevator behind him.

Marinette grabbed the paper and walked into the elevator. As the doors closed, she called back to him, "Am I dead?"

"Yes," he replied, not looking up from his work.

The doors shut leaving Marinette to prepare to meet 'The Boss.'

* * *

The elevator opened into a completely different view. Where New York had been sprawled before her, the windows now looked down on the Paris skyline. A lump formed in her throat as she looked at the city she'd called home all her life. Somewhere down there her parents were asleep, unaware that their only daughter was dead. Maybe they'd call the police, or Chat would bring her body to them. Marinette choked back a sob at the thought of her parents finding out that she was dead. Suddenly her eyes were drawn to a movement by the window.

A man in a black suit stood at the center of the window, looking the city over as if he owned it. He turned around and gave her an intense look, an easy smile on his face. "Hello, young lady. What brings you to my penthouse office?"

Not sure how to respond, Marinette held the package out to him.

The man's eyes glinted, his eyes burning with black fire, "Ah, rough day, huh?" He crossed to her and took the package, "I presume you haven't been greeted properly, so allow me to welcome you to the Halls of the Damned." He gestured to the entire room, "This is Hell."

"Hell?" repeated Marinette, feeling a little unsteady. She hadn't been that bad, had she?

"Yes indeed, Marinette," He glanced at her paperwork. "Do you need to sit down?" He motioned to a chaise longue off to one side.

Marinette nodded, sinking into it. "Water?"

He grimaced. "No, but if it's carbonated, sugared, or alcoholic, we have it. You didn't think that the saying 'people in Hell want ice water' didn't have some merit, did you?"

Marinette tried not to cry. "I never thought I'd find out first hand." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "Do you have wine?"

The man waved a hand, "Musigny?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes."

The wine appeared on an end table she hadn't noticed before. She sipped it gratefully as he sat in a chair across from her. She looked around the room again and was surprised to see a few doors, but nothing else. "Where did that table come from?"

"Perks of being The Boss," He chuckled, "I have access to quite a few things, such as having servants bring me what is necessary. Such as a lounge for a girl who looks very lost."

Marinette took another deep breath, sat up, and faced him squarely. "_I'm a superhero, for crying out loud. It's time I act like one!" _she thought to herself. "So, why am I here?"

"Isn't that the question of the day?" He said, opening the file in front of him.

She sized him up. He was unimposing, about a head taller than her, his black hair swept back and gelled into place. His eyes ruined the image of an easygoing businessman. They seemed to see _through_ everything they looked at, as though evaluating how best to take someone apart.

"Let's see," The man pulled Marinette out of her thoughts, "You are Marinette Dupain-Cheng, age 16. Alter Ego, Ladybug, Superhero, Saver of the World. Teamed up with the spirit Tikki. Partners with Chat Noir, and according to your file, a regular little heartthrob of your school." He looked up. "I know quite a few girls who wish that they had half as many boys ask them out as you have." Marinette blushed as he looked back down and continued reading. "You've had an early death due to your hero work. It says in your file you have not always used your powers for good." She squirmed uncomfortably. "As a matter of fact, you've used them no less than three times for selfish or cruel purposes. The most recent being embarrassing a girl who is simply interested in the same boy as you were." He set down her paper. "Shallow perhaps, but hardly evil. Still, clearly someone thinks you aren't one of the good ones."

Marinette felt insulted. "Really? I'm not good enough?"

"Marinette, do you know who you're speaking with?"

"I figured you were either my judge or God."

The man leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "Hardly. I am flattered you think me so... nice. My name is Lucifer," Marinette's eyes widened, "Good, you know me. That is a help. The number of people I have to explain the whole 'Prince of Darkness' thing to is more than you might imagine."

Marinette was petrified with fear, and a knot formed in her stomach. She'd woken up this morning as a sixteen-year-old girl with a crush, worried about her lab project. Now she was speaking to a being older than history, the vilest and cruelest person in existence. A little voice in the back of her head spoke up. "_I've had stranger days.' _She reflected, '_My situations were better, but the days were stranger." _She felt herself relaxing and her stomach beginning to unclench.

When she didn't say anything, Lucifer picked up her file and continued to scan it. "It doesn't have you down as having any past lives," He sounded confused. "You being here could be a fluke, just one piece of paper went the wrong direction and bam! you end up here." He set the paper down again, " I don't think that you are evil enough for any claim of mine to stick." He leaned back in his chair staring at the ceiling, clearly thinking.

"So does that mean I can leave?"

Lucifer looked back at her, "Well, yes, you could. Remember that mistakes rarely happen and usually, you're sent here for a reason. If Judgment does turn you over to me, then obviously my claim is greater. That said..." He trailed off, looking at the ceiling again.

Marinette was getting frustrated. "What are my options?"

The Devil looked back at her, "Well, let's see. One, The Celestial Choice: I can claim your soul. If my claim is confirmed, you're stuck in Hell until either you serve your time for your sins or, if you're bad enough, you'll spend eternity here. Either my claim sticks or it doesn't. Option two is Judgment; you make your case to a Judge and he decides your fate."

Marinette sighed, "Which one is better?" She knew that he probably wouldn't tell her the truth, but even if he lied to her she would still have more information than she did now.

Lucifer tapped his chin "One isn't exactly better than the other. The Celestial Choice is a fifty-fifty chance, since most people have done enough bad in their lives that they will warrant a bit of time here. Usually you'd go directly to Judgement, but approaching from Hell to request Judgement is often looked upon by the judges as trying to get out of punishment, and they do tend to be a bit harsher on people who think they shouldn't be in Hell." He looked at her apologetically. "And right now, you do fall into that category."

Marinette looked at him incredulously, "You`re telling me that no matter what the judges will turn me away?"

Lucifer nodded, "Probably. They are former humans like yourself. And while only Saints can sit as active judges," he smiled mirthlessly, "trust me when I say that they are not nearly as unbiased as they should be."

"_The same can be said for you, I'm sure," _Marinette thought as she chewed her lip. "And there are no other options?"

"That depends," He looked directly in her eyes and she fought down a shudder at the deep, fiery gaze he leveled in her direction, "I need you to tell me right now, Marinette Dupain-Cheng: how far would you go to return to your life permanently?"

She couldn't believe it. "I could go back?"

"Possibly."

Marinette looked out the window, "I need to think about it for a minute."

Lucifer chuckled. "I'll give you a bit of time." He walked behind her; as she turned to look, he vanished.

**Fair Warning, this fic is a bit different than the others. A bit darker. A lot larger. Very AU.**

**Updates **_**will**_** be infrequent. My beta is... ****distracted****, which makes this story very hard to update. I ****categorically**** refuse to put this out unbeta'd. **

**I'm not good enough to do that.**

**Chapter title credit: ****Rabindranath Tagore**

**R&R**


	2. Only Black Roses can Blossom Anew

**A/N: So I'm warning everyone, this assumes _only_ Chat and LB are the active Miraculous in the city. That isn't changing as far as I can tell. That's also going to explain Alya's reaction in a few chapters.**

**Disclaimer: Kind of late, but I don't make money from this.**

"_I think she's smarter than you give her credit for."_

"_I think this is a mistake."_

"_Yes, well, the decision has been made, the players are in motion, and the game has begun."_

"_Too late to back out now."_

"_Indeed."_

"_You think she'll go back?"_

"_I think that with the right incentive anyone will go back."_

"_In other words, you want me to leave."_

"_Yes."_

"_You do know she's protected, right?"_

"_You know I'm chaotic, not evil, right?"_

"_Ha, touche. I don't trust you."_

"_Neither does she, and you're not at my mercy."_

"_Not helping."_

"_You and I both know that I have nothing to gain by harming her. I think that you should go. You have no power here. If nothing else, it'll be less time you have to deal with me."_

"_Don't tempt me too much."_

"_Well?"_

"_I'll go, she's been guarded from the moment she stepped here. Besides, I can't protect her from the most dangerous thing here."  
_

"_Me?"_

"_Herself."_

* * *

"_I ain't the worst that you've seen...Might as well jump." _

_Van Halen - Jump_

* * *

Years before she became Ladybug, Marinette discovered that Paris's true beauty lay in the way it sparkled magically at night. Stories of her sneaking out were common at family reunions. Many times her family had found her on the roof, relaxing and staring at the streets, or the moon, or the clouds. When she had nearly fallen one day, her mother had told her father to "do something," so he had workers create a roof balcony. Marinette was extremely grateful that her parents hadn't simply forced her to sleep downstairs, instead opting for the extra expense of a balcony.

As the years went on and especially after her powers developed, she found herself going from roof to roof, higher and higher. Looking at the city as she contemplated her problems brought her focus, and it became her secret way to solve problems. Even now, stuck in Hell, she found herself looking out the window searching for that clarity.

"_It's funny," _she thought with a wry smile "_I'll always be able to say my secret problem solving technique always worked." _Unbidden, her eyes began to wander down the streets and alleys of her city. Though she was too high to make out details, she was fairly certain she could make out her home through the thin layer of smog. She sighed wistfully. She knew she shouldn't go home; making a deal with the devil was never a good idea. Cliche though it was, she had so many things she wanted to do. There were also her parents to consider…

She thought about what her parents would say if they knew about her situation. Her father would listen carefully and then ask her what she wanted to do. She loved her father, but he always told her to follow what she wanted. He was a man who believed that a guilty conscience was the worst punishment, and if your conscience wasn't feeling up to the task, he would gladly fill in.

Her mother, however, was a different story. Marinette often thought that her mother was a tough woman. If Mama were in her situation, Marinette was sure that she wouldn't have listened to Lucifer, or even stayed to think. She would take the option for Judgement, and there was a good reason for that. As she sat silently, her mother's stories of Yaoguai cutting deals with mortals before devouring their souls raced through her mind.

"Marinette?" Marinette jumped, surprised, Lucifer was walking back into the room. "I need to know if you're willing to go a little...further, than the average person."

With her mother in mind, Marinette shook her head firmly. "No. I'm not selling anything, agreeing to anything, or guaranteeing anything. I'd have to be crazy to accept a deal from you. If you want something from me, you'll just have to find someone else. I'll just go to Judgement. Hopefully my time as a superhero will count for something." Her stomach dropped as she finished her sentence. She knew that Lucifer didn't have her best interests at heart, but he had seemed strangely open with her. Not something she expected from the Lord of the Damned.

The Devil looked at her closely, "Well, I suppose you need to be transferred to Judgement then. It's disappointing, really, I would have thought that you would have at least been willing to listen to your options."

Marinette snorted in annoyance, "I'll listen to options, Lucifer. I will not, however, agree to something before I've had it explained to me. I'm sure a man of your _repute_ would understand that I am definitely not going to agree to anything you tell me without having all of the details explained."

"Deals with the devil and so forth?" Lucifer sat back, nodding. "Well, I suppose I can take that as a maybe." He tilted his head to one side as if he was thinking, before giving a firm nod. "Well, you are correct that words have power here, and because of that I can't tell you everything." He held up a hand to forestall her outburst, "But I will tell you everything I can, unless you say you would be willing to work for your return."

Marinette raised an eyebrow, "Depending on the work, I _might_," she overstressed the word, "be willing to work for my life." She jumped as a table appeared between them.

Lucifer grabbed a glass of cognac that appeared on the table. After taking a drink he nodded. "Good enough." He set the glass next to his chair and pointed to the wall, "You see all those pictures?" Marinette turned and nodded. The wall was covered with dozens of pictures of the man sitting in front of her. His clothes changed throughout the pictures, but she recognized many major historical figures standing next to him. Napoleon was the first eye catching photo, no one would ever forget the man with _that _small distinctive moustache, or Vladimir Lenin, for that matter. "The biggest compilation of infamous men and women are on that wall, and they stay here in my...collection." He said the last word with a smile, Marinette shuddered as she turned back. The look on his face was feral, and his eyes burned with a bright inferno. She remembered that the person in front of her was a Cosmic Being, and had to swallow a few times before she could get any words out.

"Are you trying to add me to that collection?" She winced at how tiny her voice sounded.

Lucifer snapped back to himself and looked at her surprised, "No! Why would you say that? Those people are the dregs of society, the lowest of the low." Marinette felt herself relax a bit. "No, those people are enjoying my hospitality and will continue to. You see, I collect villains, and Hawkmoth isn't just a villain. He's a supervillain."

"So you want Hawkmoth? Well, I'm dead, I can't really help you. When he dies, he'll come to you anyway." She shrugged. "It seems rather pointless to send me back if you'll get what you want anyway." She paused a moment, put her empty glass on the table, and stared at it. "You are a being of immense power." She mused out loud. "You wouldn't send me back unless you had no choice. What aren't you telling me?"

Lucifer laughed, "Marinette, you are the most exasperating human I have met in a long time, and I had the misfortune of losing a golden violin to a boy named Jonathan."

Marinette looked up with a smirk.

"That said," he added, "you know words won't protect you in this conversation, and everything that you've agreed to has been escapable. I'm impressed." He paused to take a drink.

"I'm flattered, but you haven't answered my question. _Why me?"_

The Devil ran a hand over his face, "I don't want Hawkmoth getting his hands on your Miraculouses. If he gets _them_, I don't get _him_. Absolute power includes immortality, and what can I say? I'm a perfectionist. I don't want him getting away until the End of Time."

"So what? Miraculouses change hands all the time. According to what Tikki has told me, they'll get a new Ladybug and you'll have my replacement." Marinette pulled her legs under her. She was confused and suspicious: the embodiment of evil was being far too _nice_ for her liking.

"You know what you're doing, Marinette." Lucifer looked at her intently, "Are you telling me you would force someone to fight your battle for you? That you won't do what's right?

Marinette laughed, "That's rich coming from you. Doing what's right?" She saw his eyes flash and a look of irritation pass over his face and realized that she might have gone too far. "I'm sorry, but a guilt trip is not going-" She paused as his words clicked into place. "You're hedging your bets."

Lucifer raised his eyebrow, "So?"

"So you know that someone else could take my place, and you feel that I would be better. Why? Why not take a different former Ladybug? I'm sure there are others that were far more qualified. Cleopatra, or Joan." Marinette bit on her lip. She was fine saving the world, but she wasn't going to sell her soul to do it.

Lucifer sighed, "Those two have already been judged and sent on. You are the only Ladybug that I have access to, and I am in a unique position to offer you a way back."

Marinette's eyebrows raised, "I doubt that. Unless you use your Celestial Choice and I am deemed yours, I don't think that I could be sent back. I also don't think that you would choose to send me back if I was deemed evil enough to belong to you."  
"Partially correct," said Lucifer sitting forward. "The only person who can send you back with no strings attached is the Big Guy himself, and I definitely wouldn't send you back if you were evil; it would go against the terms of my parole. But that brings me to the delicate part. I can send you back. Your time will be delayed for a bit, obviously; even in this dimension time passes. It just passes differently. All I'll need to do is use a contract."

Marinette stood up and began to turn away, "No, no contracts. I am not giving you my soul, my friends' souls, or my firstborn. If you are going to send me back, you will not tie me to anything."

Lucifer spread his arms in a welcoming gesture, "Feel free to offer an alternative, but this is a _blank _contract. I'll help you fill it in if you ask, but there won't be any big words or things hard to understand. It will all be laid out _by your hand. _All I will do is sign it."

Marinette turned to face him, crossing her arms and regarding him skeptically, "I don't have a choice, do I?"

Lucifer looked at her, "There's always a choice. I think the question is: 'do I take the chance that I won't be given to the Fallen Angel whose generosity I rejected, or do I take his offer and hope for the best?'"

Marinette sighed as she shook her head. "I'm officially crazy. Show me the contract."

* * *

The contract was not as simple as she'd hoped.

It could have been worse, she reflected as she reviewed the contract, trying to find a loophole that would force her to give up her soul or something as bad. If she hadn't had a sample contract to refer to, provided by the Devil, she would have been completely lost. As it was, she was tempted to simply walk out if he complained about wording.

She looked over the contract one last time. The way things were worded, in her opinion, would leave her free and clear as soon as Hawkmoth had been defeated. There probably wasn't as much legalese as Lucifer would prefer, but Marinette didn't want anything that could be used against her, and using overly complicated words that sounded grand and important could leave her in a bind.

"Done…" Marinette looked up at Lucifer, who was watching her as he relaxed in his chair.

"Signed and ready to go?" Lucifer asked leaning forward to grab the contract.

"Ready to go," Marinette corrected, "I'm not signing it until you've signed, and agreed to it."

Lucifer seemed unperturbed, surprising Marinette: she could hardly be accused of making this process easy.

"Let's see," Lucifer examined the document thoroughly. "This document will allow us to reach an accord in which you and I will do a job for each other. My job is to bring you back to life, and your job is to defeat Hawkmoth." He looked at her, "I have a couple things I want to change."

Marinette nodded, trying hard not to appear smug. "That's why I didn't sign it."

Lucifer looked back down at the contract. "Here where it says, '...Will be responsible for the defeat of the supervillain Hawkmoth…' I want to change that."

Marinette didn't try to hide her surprise, "I thought that was the entire reason you were sending me back."

The Devil looked up at her, "It is. However, I want him to appear here, not in Judgement. In order to make sure he arrives here, I want to change 'for the defeat of' to 'for the deliverance of.' That way the contract will bring him straight here."

Marinette gave a nervous sigh. "I don't know…"

"Look," Lucifer pushed, "I'll also change your return so you know you'll be safe. And I'll take the renege portion out for you."

Marinette looked at him in shock, "The portion that states what happens if I don't fulfill the deal? You'll remove it?"

"Yes." The Devil pointed to the paragraph, "I'll remove it and add the word 'permanently' to your return to earth. That way you know I can't just pull you back, and the contract won't determine you as trying to worm your way out of fulfilling it if you have to go into hiding."

Marinette sank back into her lounge, "That portion… in exchange for a guarantee that you'll get Hawkmoth." She hated to do this to another human, sure that whatever Lucifer had planned for Hawkmoth was not something she would wish on her worst enemy. Still, if it meant that _she_ was safe from Hell... "How do you know that I'll do it? Where's your insurance that I'll complete the contract? After all, I could just run and hide and never look back."

Lucifer looked at her thoughtfully, "You could, but you won't." As she began to ask her question, he stopped her by holding up a folder. "I have your entire file, Marinette. You are _**Ladybug**_, defender, fighter, protector, and you work hard to embody that. You aren't going to run for another reason as well. Tell me, would you leave Adrien defenseless against Hawkmoth?"

Marinette deflated; he was correct. If it came to a tactical retreat, or staying to save Adrien, she knew what she would do.

Lucifer nodded sympathetically, "The bittersweet curse of mortality: the ease with which you can create emotional connections with each other." He let out a wistful sounding sigh, "As a Celestial, I don't have that ability. Your soul is forever, but the people on the earth are just a blink, a mere flash of existence. By the time I could even get to know them, I'm either their unreachable tormentor, or they are somewhere that I can't go."

Marinette looked at him as he stared into the distance, his eyes like the warm, wistful embers of a dying fire. She thought she saw longing, but when he looked at her, it vanished like a shift in a fire; leaving her to wonder if she'd imagined it.

Lucifer finished his thought, "So, no, Mariette, I feel confident omitting the renege portion."

Marinette agreed with him, "Okay. So you'll omit that and include the word 'permanently' to prevent you from claiming me back. In exchange, I'll change 'defeat' to 'deliverance' so that whatever magic you use brings him to you. Then you sign it, and I'll look it over one last time. Then I'll sign it." She sat back and let out a breath. "_This is a lot of work," _she thought, "_but I'd rather put in the work now than have laziness come back to bite me._

**R&R**

**Chapter Title Credit: Michael Cross- Black Rose**

**Apologies for the re-upload, I'm not sure why it disappeared.**

**I'll let you know in the notes when I have posted a side chapter (read: one shot) pertinent to the fic chapter in question. The one shot's can be read separately, but will have more poinincy if read in tandem with the fic.**


	3. Better Three Hours Too Soon

**A/N: Don't own ML. 'Nuff said.**

"_So do I need to view the contract?"_

"_Only if you distrust your Ladybug."_

"_If I trusted Ladybugs, we wouldn't be having this conversation."_

"_I've sent it up already. If you want a copy it'll be where all the other contracts are stored."_

"_I doubted that you would keep it for long. You know that if she's harmed you'll be paying for it at the End."_

"_So you aren't going to look at it?"_

"_No. If you've already sent it up then it's a moot point. It's signed and no one can stop it now."_

"_Are you going to give me another?"_

"_Another what?"_

"_Another contract to replace the one I had to use on your pet project."_

"_No."_

"_I get one every five hundred years-"_

"_And if it were up to me you wouldn't even get that. Count your blessings that God is as forgiving as he is."_

* * *

"_Weep not dear children for life is this way, murdering beauty and passion" _

_Erutan-Come Little Children_

* * *

Adrien dropped to the roof of the cathedral, carefully laying his partner down.

"C'mon get up Ladybug." He murmured as he examined her body for signs of broken bones. Seeing none he looked at her face and fought down tears.

Her face was nearly melted off, though apparently her eyes had been protected from the worst of the blast as they stared unblinkingly at the night sky, clear blue.

As he closed her eyes he felt his control slip and wept. He ignored the beeping from his ring, and barely registered his suit evaporating as his kwami took its physical form.

"It's okay, let it out."

Hearing the quiet murmur had him looking at Plagg. The kwami had never shown any sort of emotion before, and he was touched that he was going to start now. There, patting his shoulder, the little being also had his arm around a tiny blob of red which seemed to be shaking as it curled into itself.

"So young." It gasped out.

"I know Tikki, I know." Plagg comforted the other kwami as he continued to rub the shoulder of his chosen. "It's never easy."

As the three stood vigil over the red clad body Adrien began to wonder. "How come she's still in her suit if you're out here?"

Giving the boy a bit of an agitated look, Plagg answered for the other little being, "It takes all our focus to make sure the suit functions to override your basic physiology. You breathing, blinking,and your heart beating means that we have to make microscopic changes to the suit constantly."

Plagg was content to leave it there but Tikki wasn't. "It takes very little work to simply create a suit to cover you and hide your identity, and I had to come out…"

She broke down again. The rest of the sentence was left unsaid. The same way Plagg was there for Adrien, he was there for Tikki too.

Silence stretched for a bit again before Tikki spoke. "We need to give him the earings."

"No." Growled Plagg as Adrien began to look curiously at the two.

"But Plagg-"

"I am not allowing my chosen to Transcend." Plagg interjected over whatever Tikki was about to say. "It is unnecessary, and I refuse to give _any_ human that much power if I can help it."

"We have a loose Akuma!" Screeched Tikki, "We need to-"

"Go home and rest!" snapped the cat, " He destroyed the Akuma. We need to find a replacement for you so that when Nooroo is forced against us again we can _cleanse _the soul like we're supposed to."

Adrien was about to step in when Tikki whirled on him, "Tell me he's wrong." She demanded wide eyed.

Not sure why she seemed so upset, Adrien shook his head. "No he's right. I snapped and crushed it under my boot."

He'd never seen a kwami fall out of the air before, but the speed at which the little red bug flew toward the ground had him reaching down to catch her. When he picked her up he saw she was shaking her head in disbelief.

"Tikki, what's wrong?" Adrien felt himself growing nervous, her reaction was not inspiring confidence.

Giving her alternate a look that was obviously telling him to do something, all Tikki said was "Put me on my chosens body please Adrien. Plagg needs to inform you of just how much trouble you're in."

Gently placing the tiny being on the… on his partner Adrien controlled himself and went to find his kwami who had flown off. Deciding that looking for a black kwami in the dark on an unlit roof would be a bit of a effort in futility, Adrien decided to use an old fallback to bring Plagg to him. Reaching into his pocket he found what he was looking for and simply held it on his palm.

"Camembert!" From across the roof a black streak raced to the smelly cheese in Adriens outstretched hand. Devouring the cheeze his kwami looked at him. "So Tikki wants you to know just how badly you messed up?"

"Seems that way," the teen agreed, focusing all of his attention on the spirit in front of him. "_As long as I focus on him I'll be distracted," _Adrien thought, willing himself not to think about what lay behind him.

"Okay, pop quiz kid. What are Akuma?"

"Butterflies."

Plagg rolled his eyes "Yes. Obviously their form is a butterfly, or moth if you're being specific, but what **exactly** sets them apart from the average _Lepidoptera?"_

Adrien shrugged, "They're more susceptible to magic?"

Plagg sighed "None of your answers are wrong per se. I just wanted something a bit more specific." Floating on his back, the cat kwami continued. "So most souls, after death, are instantly judged and sent to thier final destination."

"Really? How?" Adrien interrupted.

"How should I know?" Plagg responded languidly eyeing his chosen, "It's a lot of work, something I avoid as you well know. Now where was I?" He murmured.

"Judgement," Adrien said, feeling a bit annoyed that Plagg couldn't be bothered to find extra information due to laziness.

"Right," Plagg agreed, "So normally that what happens, but you have people who die _nativitatis ante , _before being born. Akuma are 'innocent souls' and they can cross over every November 1st. Unless they don't want to," He paused to roll over before continuing, "Or of course if they're trapped. Like what our resident supervillain does to them."

Adrien sank to his knees, "So I killed-" He began before Plagg interrupted him.

"Adrien," The little kwami looked at him earnestly, strangely serious, "You and I have a lot to do over the next few days. There will be time to grieve for what you _unknowingly _did. Look at me!" He growled as Adrien began to look away in shame his stomach rolling with guilt, "I won't get into just how bad it is that you destroyed a pure soul, but suffice to say it's bad." Adrien nodded and felt himself begin to get nervous. Plagg was never this serious. Suddenly his kwami relaxed. "Adrien, I'm in your corner. You're good at getting me camembert despite your lack of appreciation for good food. That means there's more for me." The little deity grinned and looked away before mumbling something else.

Adrien couldn't quite make out the words. "What was that last part?"

"You're growing on me kid, happy?" Plagg bit out. "Now we just need to move your partner and…" He petered off looking toward where they had left Ladybug and Tikki.

Turning slowly Adrien felt his heart leap into his mouth.

Ladybug's body was gone.

* * *

Marinette was falling. She had been falling since she had been sent back. Suddenly there was a rush on her senses, and she felt herself lying on her back staring at the stars.

She was back.

Not fully aware of where she was yet she began to roll to her side , and felt herself begin to fall again.

This time, however she could catch herself.

Using her yoyo she started to go home, when she heard an urgent beeping in her ear.

"Can we get home first Tikki?" she murmured, "Beep once for yes."

There was a short beep before her earrings went quiet.

"Can I explain now?" she asked the jewelry. The earrings remained silent, "I thought not."

* * *

It was one of the roughest landings Marinette had ever had. Her suit was coming off in mid air as she covered the last few feet to her roof. Without the suit, her lack of coordination caught up to her, and she found herself tripping over her plants and falling onto a chair.

"_My last piece of luck" _She thought as she saw the little red Kwami racing toward her at high speed.

"Omygosh Marinette you were nearly killed. What am I saying? You were killed! You were dead and it was terrible." Tikki was speaking so fast it was giving Marinette a headache. "I felt so bad, you are so young and have so much to live for and… oh!" the little being finally just raced to her and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you're not dead."

As the two separated Marinette saw her friend's eyes slowly widening. "I'm glad to see you too Tikki."

"Marinette?" Her kwami began, "Why aren't you dead?"

Closing her eyes the girl sighed, "_I knew this was coming." _Tikki wouldn't have been able to ride the high of her unexplained return to life forever.

"Marinette." Tikki said sharply, "I'm glad to see you, but **why aren't you dead**?"

Beginning to climb down the stairs to her room all Mari said was, "We need cookies."

Tikki followed her, "Not that I disagree," the kwami sounded confused, "but are cookies the best thing right now."

Looking at her Marinette nodded, "For you, yes. For me I could do with something stronger; but I have class tomorrow."

Ignoring the fact that her kwami was now frozen in mid air Marinette went to her secret sugar stash, and began to pull out the sweets.

"Marinette?" The girl paused, Tikki sounded… scared? "What, exactly, did you agree to do in exchange for your life?"

"Defeat Hawkmoth." Marinette refused to look at her friend.

"And who did you make the deal with?"

"Does it matter?" Snapped Marinette looking at the kwami, "I made the deal. Hell, I _wrote the deal_."

Tikki shook her head, slowly backing away from her chosen. "What have you done?" she whispered.

Sighing Marinette sank onto her lounge. "I'm sorry Tikki, I'm just tired. I didn't mean to snap at you… Tikki?" The cosmic being had backed to her window and was trying to find the latch with her little paw, without ever taking her eyes off Marinette.

"No." Tikki's eyes were wide in something that looked very much like terror, and her antenna were vibrating more intensely than Marinette had ever seen before. But that didn't make sense! Why would the kwami be afraid of her chosen? "No, I refuse!" Tikki shouted, pushing the latch up and fleeing out into the night.

"Tikki, wait!" Marinette called as she watched her friend bolt. "Please don't go," she whispered to the empty room.

Trying hard not to cry, Marinette lay back on her lounge when a thought struck her: was it even possible for a kwami to separate themselves from their miraculous? A loud pounding came from her door breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Girl, open up!" The voice on the other side was broken with sobs. As Marinette reached the door to open it the next words made her catch her breath, "God Marinette open up _please. Please_ let me be wrong. I can't have you both die."

**Chapter Title Credit: William ****Shakespeare**

**R&R**


	4. If Nothing of Sovereign Value is Lost

**Still not rich. Still not an animator. Still don't own Ladybug.**

"_You have got to be kidding me."_

"_I would do it, but our offices are in an uproar over the akuma."_

"_So you think __**I'm **__a viable replacement?"_

"_No, but I don't have much of a choice."_

"_Glad to know I'm the bottom of the barrel."  
_"_Don't be like that. We passed the bottom a while ago. The barrel's in pieces and we've started to dig."_

"_I'm going to ignore that. Why do you think she'll listen to me?"_

"_You'll be going on my authority."  
_"_And my proof will be..?"_

"_Arriving shortly."_

* * *

"_I reckon it's… my turn, to win some or learn some."_

_Jason Mraz -I'm Yours_

* * *

Tikki made it halfway to her destination before the pain became too overwhelming.

Dropping to the ground, the kwami began to walk back in the direction of her miraculous, her new plan: get closer so the pain in her head would let up. Her pounding head made her think of her counterpart.

Plagg, who had never had the misfortune of being separated from his miraculous for a large period of time or long distance, had once asked her what it was like being separated from one's foci.

"Painful," was Tikki's one word answer. It was, without a doubt, one of the largest understatements the kwami had ever made. The focus was designed to keep the kwami contained. That meant that they couldn't reject their chosen (like Tikki just had) or their miraculous. The kwami were powerful, but that power was limited to floating when outside of their foci. It was a failsafe to keep kwamis from trying to rule humans on their own. If two kwami went against each other they could use all their magic, but it would barely effect anything outside of the spirit realm. If Tikki wanted to affect the world around her, she needed to use the earrings. After all, if Tikki could simply transform into a human, the earrings wouldn't be necessary. However beings greater than herself deemed that humanity needed to police themselves. While they could be given a nudge or a helping hand, by and large they were to be left alone. The miraculouses were the largest 'helping hand' they had, and even those had become mercilessly regulated over the aeons.

Pulling herself out of her memories, Tikki felt the pressure in her head fade enough that she could think. "_I need someone to help me with my chosen,"_ she thought. Fu was going to be her first stop, but if Marinette had been possessed, or her body was just a shell for a demon… Tikki suddenly doubted that all the miraculouses working in tandem could defeat a corrupted Ladybug.

She shuddered at the thought of having to fight her friends. Time forbid that she ever be forced into the situation Nuru was in, Tikki didn't know if she would make it out without… Stockholm Syndrome she thought she'd heard Marinette call it. "_My desire to always see the best in my chosen would have me blind to the atrocities we'd no doubt commit." _That was why she'd left, if she talked to Marin- her chosen- she would believe anything to have her back.

So the local Celestials were out which meant she was going to have to go over everyone's heads. Sighing she found a patch of dirt on the sidewalk and drew a triangle on it. Diagraming it out she quietly wrote number 5 at each corner and waited.

Nothing happened.

"Where is that stupid, no good-"

"I wonder what he would say if he could hear you now?" The voice behind her sounded more than a little amused. As she warily turned around to face the newcomer, he continued, "Of course I agree that he can be a pain from time to time, so please don't stop on my account."

"You," Tikki glanced over her shoulder to make sure that she wasn't a digit off before floating up to head height of the new arrival. "You're the reason I'm here."

Smiling, the being nodded. "And now you are the reason I am here."

Tikki snorted, annoyed. "You expect me to believe that the General sent his worst enemy as his emissary?" Rolling her eyes she dismissed him, "Go to Hell, Satan, I don't want anything to do with you, or your lies." Crossing her arms and glaring at the celestial she waited for him to leave.

There was a flash of what looked to Tikki like satisfaction in The Devil's eyes before his face schooled into a bored look. "Very well. I was supposed to give you something from M in order to prove the veracity of my claim, but if you want me to leave, I can." Turning, he began to walk down the street.

Ignoring the voice in the back of her head that was telling her this was definitely bait for a trap, Tikki raced after the other celestial. "Just what was it that you're going to give me?"

"I was going to give you a letter which he swore up and down you would want." He replied, not even glancing at her, "Now, however, I have a pick-up to make. If you want any of your questions answered, you're going to have to join me for a drink."

Tikki knew that if it came to a magical showdown she'd lose, half of her powers were negated due to her focus after all. Even if she had all of her power available she wouldn't be able to slow down, much less beat, a fallen angel. Especially an augmented one like Lucifer. He had been an archangel before, and he still held the powers of one, though not the privileges. "_I dismissed him,_" she thought wryly, "_and now I need him._"

"Fine. I'll join you," she muttered, refusing to look in his direction, knowing that if she saw the smug expression that was sure to be waiting, it would only upset her more.

"Excellent." The Prince of Darkness had stopped in front of a pub called _Nostalgique_, "The first round is on me."

* * *

Marinette was comforting Alya.

Her best friend was clutching her and bawling into her shoulder. The intermittent words Marinette had caught included, "so glad I was wrong," and "you're alive," both of which always had her friend hugging her tighter; as though if she let go Marinette would evaporate. Finally Mari broke the silence.

"Alya, I'm fine," she said, pushing her friend back, "And you're starting to freak me out a bit, what did you think happened tonight?"

Wiping her eyes, her friend let out a shaky breath. "Marinette, don't hate me please, but I need to tell you something."

"Look, Alya, if you think I'm upset because you used the spare key to get in…" Marinette started, only to be waved off.

"No I'm not worried about that," Alya looked embarrassed but pressed on. "I'm here to discuss Ladybug."

Marinette fought down the urge to roll her eyes. She loved Alya, but there were days that she was glad that her best friend didn't know Ladybug's true identity. Alya seemed keen on the whole Lois Lane position, including the crazy dating life that came with it. The number of times she'd been asked to rate Ladybug's hotness in a certain picture made Marinette want to scream. She wasn't against people crushing on her alter ego, it was when she _knew_ the people in question that things got awkward.

It really shouldn't have come a surprise that Alya, who had just seen Ladybug carried away from a battle, was coming to see her closest friend, Marinette admitted to herself. After all, Alya had woken her up multiple times with new pieces of gossip that were a lot less juicy than Ladybug's (supposed) death.

Taking Marinette's silence as permission, Alya continued, "Remember the history book we got that belonged to Ladybug?"

Caught off guard, Marinette nodded.

"Remember how I insisted that it had to be from a student in our class?"

Marinette nodded again, why on earth were they going over this again now?

Looking her straight in the eye, Alya got to her point, "Can you explain to me why my best friend's name was printed on the front cover under the 'Name of Student Issued?'" Marinette felt her stomach drop to her shoes, "Then, after that, maybe you can explain exactly how you are standing in front of me, despite having fallen into a raging inferno earlier."

Marinette sat down hard on her chaise longue. "_Tonight is the night of confrontations, apparently,"_ she mused as she looked into her friends eyes.

* * *

Tikki looked at the pint in front of her and tried to ignore the sneaking suspicion that she was being set up by her counterpart. This seemed like the kind of joke that stupid piece of hellspawn would pull on her. Then again, the Devil was from Hell too, so maybe it wasn't so surprising.

"I'm not drinking all of this." She looked across at where Lucifer was relaxing in the booth, his eyes on the card table.

"You don't have to," he replied, his gaze shifting to her, "It's common courtesy to buy a woman a drink though."

Pushing away the urge to insult him, Tikki sighed as she watched his eyes focus back over her shoulder, "I swear, Lucifer, you said you had information for me, but all you've done since arriving is stare at the card table. I know you're the master of vices, but can you give them up long enough to at least talk to me?"

Lucifer sent a confused look her way, "Why do you think I… oh!" He nodded in understanding, "I'm interested in the _players, _not the game. Remember how I said I was here on business?" Tikki nodded; he'd been telling the truth?

Inclining his head toward the man facing the door Lucifer continued, "He's my assignment. I'm picking him up _personally_." Tikki shook her head in disappointment. She was sure that whoever the man was, he didn't deserve her sympathy, but she still thought that it was a shame when humans failed to live up to their potential; allowing their greed and pride to rule their lives.

"You're correct, however," Lucifer continued, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "I have a lovely young drinking partner tonight and I am being remiss in my duties as a conversationalist." Tikki rolled her eyes at the flattery and sipped from her pint. Time knew she wasn't going to get drunk, but a sip wouldn't kill her.

"So, what did you need to show me?" she asked as she grabbed a napkin and wiped her hands dry.

"This." Reaching under the table, the Devil pulled out a scroll and unrolled it.

"This is to… Hereby declaring…" Tikki read through the scroll, mumbling as she went. Skipping to the signature she raised her eyebrows, "Witness number 555? Time damn him! Why didn't he just step in and expedite her?" She looked up at the Devil who was calmly looking back at her. Tikki ignored her building headache, and let her fury fly. "I swear to Time I'm going to tear him to pieces." She began to pace. "He didn't step in to keep _my chosen_ safe. She's scared and probably feeling betrayed right now because of me." Whirling to glare at Lucifer, the kwami continued to vent. "I only left because I thought you," she pointed across the table, "Had assigned a demon to possess her body, and now I find out that he knew! _He knew_!" She exploded. "He knew that she died, he knew that she hadn't even been judged, and he didn't even step in when you took matters into your own hands!" Growling, the bug stared into the amber liquid and tried to ignore the pounding in her head.

As she stared at the beer a thought struck her: something didn't add up.

"Lucifer," Tikki said slowly. If she said this too fast she would begin a rant that probably would end sometime next century, "I know you collect villains, and I noticed the wording of that clause by the way," She paused to give him a glare, "but I also know that you understand how the miraculous laws work, seeing as you have helped draft a few of them at Plagg's request." Gathering her thoughts, she looked in the eyes of the being sitting across from her, "Just why did you decide to give up your single contract?"

Lucifer dragged a hand across his face and sighed, and Tikki was surprised that she felt sorry for him. That sigh told of long hours, stress, and unbelievable torture. While Lucifer told most people he met, that he deserved the torture that he received due to his past indiscretions, some celestials thought that he should be allowed to focus on running hell. Tikki was unsure, but she was starting to feel that way too. After all he'd only been doing the job, and the torture that came with it, for as long as most beings could remember. "_Then again,"_ She reminded herself, "_Treason is a major crime. The mortal world still often punishes its perpetrators with death, something we can't do."_ She pulled herself out of her thoughts as Lucifer began to speak.

"That's the other thing I need to give you." He reached in his jacket and pulled out a letter.

The wax seal held the signet of the miraculouses on it. Tikki sighed, her stomach dropping. There was only one reason that a Ladybug, or her kwami would be getting this. Breaking the seal, she read through the message and nodded. "I hate this." She looked up at Lucifer, who was looking at her with an expression akin to agreement.

"We both do." He said, leaning forward on the table, "Though I can say, my reasons are much more selfish than yours."

There was a commotion across the room, and Tikki and Lucifer glanced over. People were shouting and a brawl was beginning.

"That's my cue," Lucifer said, rising from the booth.

"Lucifer." Tikki stopped him. "Can you burn these please?" She said motioning to the paperwork, "I don't have anywhere to put them, and I can't have my chosen babysit them."

Lucifer nodded, waving his hand and reducing the papers to ash before crossing the room, where the fight had gotten much more violent.

Sighing, Tikki stared at the ashes and then at the pint. Marinette was waiting at home and she should really go back and tell her that everything was alright between them; but that letter always made her want to forget, and she had a perfectly good pint of beer here…

Pushing her responsibilities out of her mind, Tikki quietly began to drown her sorrows.

* * *

"_Where are Hawkmoth's akumas when you need them?_" Marinette thought as the silence stretched uncomfortably long between her best friend and herself. Not that she _needed_ a rain check per se, but Alya was waiting for a response, and Marinette wasn't sure what to tell her.

"Well?" Alya was clearly tired of waiting, "Care to explain yourself?"

Marinette felt trapped, "I don't really know what to say…" she trailed off as Alya threw up her hands in exasperation.

"Yes, Alya! I am Ladybug. I'm so glad you found out, Alya. No, Alya, you're nuts! I don't know how she got my book, Alya." Her best friend's voice was getting louder and Marinette could feel herself starting to cry. "Go away, Alya, I didn't tell you because I don't actually like you!" Marinette heard her friend choke back a sob, though whether it was of worry or frustration, she couldn't be sure. "Just say something!" Alya finally screamed at her, before bursting into tears.

Feeling the tears stinging at her own eyes Marinette shook her head, "I'm sorry," she murmured as the traitorous tears began to spill over.

Sniffing through her tears Alya hiccuped, "I-i-it's just not fair. I'm your _best friend_," she paused to take a deep breath, "I was so excited to find out that Ladybug was you. I've been covering for you at school, to your parents, to Nino and Adrien." The tears began again in earnest, "I wanted you to notice, I thought you would _tell_ me."

Marinette looked at her best friend. How had she missed this? "_I saw what I wanted to see,"_ she realized. "_As long as no one __**said**_ _anything, I thought I was fine." _Clearly that hadn't been the case.

"Alya, I had no idea… I just wanted to keep you safe."

Alya glared through her tears, "Mari, do you have any idea how crazy I drive myself trying to keep your _identity_ safe?" Alya was about to continue when her friend lunged at her.

**Chapter Title Credit: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo**

**R&R**


	5. Under the Weight of Misunderstanding

**Still poor. Still a Marine. Still don't own ML.**

"_I'm getting tired of these conversations."_

"_Me too. Did you do what I asked?"_

"_Yes. Go away."_

"_So Tikki is aware. Good, she can help her Ladybug."_

"_**Will**_ _the kwami help her?"_

"_That's up to her."_

"_Ambiguous."_

"_You've already offered your help, right?"_

"_I can recognize an order in a question."_

"_Good, now her test begins in earnest."_

* * *

"_Say what you're mad at me for...cause I got all the things I ever wanted to say, but nothing's coming out." _

_In Your Pocket -Maroon 5_

* * *

Marinette was angry. No, she had left angry behind a while ago. White hot fury was pulsing through her veins. Her f… no, _Alya_ was claiming to defend her identity? Alya who ran a blog dedicated to _exposing her to the world_ was claiming that she was defending her?

Marinette liked to think that she a was level headed, calm and collected, rational human, but when Alya had said _that_ she saw red.

She wasn't a hundred percent sure how she had ended up on top of her fr… the girl, but she was currently pinning Alya's hands to the boards of her floor while she looked at the girl.

Ignoring the panicked look on Alya's tearstained face Marinette growled out a question to her now struggling captive. "If you were ever my friend, you will explain how, in your numerous attempts to _reveal_ my identity, you were in fact _**protecting **_it." Alya had stopped struggling and was looking a bit put out at being sat on, but seemed to at least understand why her friend was now pinning her to the ground. Ignoring the look Alya was wearing Marinette leaned forward. "If you were ever my _friend_," she spat the word as if it was venom, making Alya flinch, "Tell me why you've been following leads all over the city trying to find me."

Alya's response was short and succinct, "Misdirection."

Marinette was far from pleased with that answer, "Misdirection? You've come so close to my identity _so many times."_ She slammed her weight down on her captives wrists to illustrate her last three words, ignoring the gasp from under her, "You've chased me ever since I put on those _stupid_ earrings. You can't just sit there and say you weren't trying to expose me when you tried to personally _**tear my mask off!**_" she growled the last part.

Alya began struggling again, "Marinette! Please, you're scaring me!" As Marinette put more pressure on her wrists Alya screamed, "Mari, Stop! You're hurting me!"

Marinette backed off, Alya didn't deserve to be hurt. She stared at the girl below her who was sobbing uncontrollably.

"I swear M-M-Mari -hic- nette. I didn't have a choice." Alya gasped out, "When I was akumatized, I didn't have any fear." Sobbing harder the girl continued, "Everything I did was what I wanted, there was nothing holding me back." Pausing for breath the journalist continued. "No commitments, no morals, no relationships. I was…" She paused, looking for the right word, "Free. Unencumbered."

Marinette leaned in, blue eyes meeting hazel. "So it's what you wanted?" Alya nodded, tears forgotten, unable to tear herself from the intense gaze, "Then it was as good as being you in the first place." Marinette whispered as she leaned back, the disgust evident on her face.

"No!" Alaya defended, "Once I knew it was you, I stopped, I swear. I just wanted to know. I wanted people to feel safe, so that they _knew_ that it was safe I thought I would show them her- you." She amended.

"Did you ever think that I didn't want to be found for my safety? My family's safety? The safety of my friends?" Marinette paused, giving the spectacled girl a hard look, "Did you think of _anyone_ but yourself?" Looking away Alya murmured something unintelligible. "I didn't hear that."

"I said, only after I found out it was you." Alya murmured, refusing to meet her eyes.

Shifting her weight, Marinette demanded an answer, "Why?"

Alya took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Because of the museum."

That was not what Marinette expected, "Why the museum?"

Looking back into her friends eyes Alya responded, "Because that's the day I gave up the dream of being your sidekick."

* * *

Plagg was sick of being stuck in a Time damned ring.

He wanted to go home, but his chosen, hormone addled fool that he was, had insisted on looking for Ladybug. While a noble gesture, Plagg did not want to find Ladybug because she was _alive. _

She shouldn't be.

Until he spoke to his kwami partner, or his boss, or a few friends he'd made over the millenia, he didn't want his chosen to interact with Ladybug. He just couldn't take the risk that it was something that had seen an open shell and grabbed it. There were plenty of things in the world that would steal a warm body, and very few were nice, much less trustworthy.

He did not need Chat Noir to start assisting a demon, or something worse, in a takeover of the mortal realm. Sighing, he informed his chosen it was time to go home, knocking out the last of the pawprint on the ring.

He ignored the cursing coming from above.

He was well aware that they could be here all night and he would still have plenty of energy left, barring the use of Cataclysm; however his chosen could not be allowed to sleep through tomorrow, no matter how proud he was of the fact that he was rubbing off on him.

...What was that?

Ignoring the mix of panic and longing recognition that had suddenly seized him Plagg began signaling Adrien it was time to go. _**Now**_.

His chosen was his responsibility. It was his job to keep him safe. He was well aware that Heaven, Hell, and several other realms would want his chosen for what he'd done to the Akuma tonight.

That power surge meant one thing. Hell's faction head was in Paris. It might just be a coincidence, but Plagg knew better than to count on his luck.

He relaxed as he felt them land in the bedroom.

Pulling his magic from his chosen he departed the focus and glanced around the room. "Go to sleep, kid. I need cheese, and your day is gonna be big tomorrow."

"Plagg-"

"She's home by now." He said, trying to sound relaxed, and hoping he was succeeding. "_With my luck? Yeah right_," he thought, "Tiring yourself out won't help you, won't help me, and it certainly won't help her if there's another attack tomorrow." Adrien was looking at him strangely. "Bed, kid, we'll talk more tomorrow." As Adrien headed to the bathroom to perform his nightly ablutions, Plagg raced down to the main hall, only stopping long enough to grab most of the cheese in the fridge. "_Oh yeah, we'll talk tomorrow," _He thought gloomily, "_Time willing we won't __**need**_ _to talk again tonight."_

Taking a vantage point at the main door Plagg closed his eyes and meditated. Time willing he would feel that power _leave_ tonight and there wouldn't be an issue.

Several hours later, he went back to a sleeping Adrien, a letter in one paw.

* * *

As Marinette drew back she heard, "Can I get up now please, Marinette?"

Starting a bit at the timid way the other girl was speaking, Marinette got off Alya. Ignoring the way the other girl was looking around, clearly a bit shaken and nervous, Marinette crossed to her window.

"You wanted to be my sidekick," It wasn't the strangest idea, all things considered. After all, wasn't Alya constantly trying to be the hero when it came to her friends? "Ironic, really."

"Oh?"

Turning to her friend she indicated her lounge. "Sit, Alya." The girl leapt to obey. The vivacious young Martinique native was keeping her head down, as if eye contact would preclude another jumping.

Sitting down next to her, Marinette saw Alya shift away slightly. Sighing, she reached for her friend's hand. "Ayla. I'm not going to hurt you."

Pulling away, Alya gave her a look which said she clearly didn't believe her. "Marinette, tonight I learned just why Chloe fears you. When you're upset, you don't hold back," she paused to rub her wrists, which were still red. "I had to _beg_ you to get you to stop; and I thought I was your best friend." Hugging herself, she finished quietly, "I honestly don't understand why you were so upset. I never thought you'd ever get mad at me because I wanted to help."

Guilt began to gnaw on Marinette's stomach. "I'm sorry, Alya," she started quietly, not wanting to upset her friend (she hoped Alya would still be her friend), "I just lost it. After all the days and hours I spent afraid that you would reveal me, hearing you say that you were helping me just upset me more than I thought it would." Crossing her arms over her stomach, Marinette continued, "I was terrified when I fought you as an Akuma victim. You were my friend and I thought I knew you, but I'd never thought that it was such an overwhelming _need _for you that it was able to consume you." Swallowing hard, Marinette remembered that day. "I've faced villains that erased people from time, giant robots that have attacked the city, heck, _I've fought a dragon_. None of them terrified me as much as you did when you got a solid grip on my mask." The amature journalist started in surprise, though Marinette barely registered it. "Alya, you know almost everything about Ladybug. I have heard you talk about how fearless she is, how brave, how amazing." Taking a deep breath Marinette pushed on, "What you don't know is that this wasn't a job I wanted. I found it ironic that you wanted to be my sidekick because the first day I was given these powers, I turned them down."

"No!" Gasped Alya, her eyes widening.

Keeping a level gaze with the girl next to her, Marinette nodded, "I felt after I failed to save everyone from Stoneheart the first time I should give up. So I did."

"But why?" Disbelief laced Alya's voice. "You're amazing. You stood up for all of us, you defended us, you were strong." Her voice got a bit quieter, "You were an inspiration."

Mari shrugged her shoulders, "Because I'd never been the hero, and when I was, I just messed it up." Sighing, she remembered the feeling of failure when Tikki had told her she had needed to cleanse the butterfly that had gotten away. "I had always been in the background, the quiet kid who just went to school and tried not to stand out. Suddenly having the fate of the city on my shoulders wasn't something I thought I could handle, so I gave it away." Glancing at her friend she continued, "I gave it to you."

"Me?"

"Remember the second Stoneheart incident?" Alya nodded her assent. "After I found out that I should have cleansed the butterfly, I rejected my powers. Leaving the earrings box in your bag, but when you ran off…"

"... I left my bag behind." Alya had forgotten that. It had seemed such an insignificant detail then, compared to getting nearly crushed by a car, "So that's why you chased me, you wanted me to take over." She mused.

"But you were trapped and I didn't see anyone else I could just hand the miraculous, so I put the earrings back on."

"But you never gave them back." Pointed out Alya.

Marinette nodded "After I swore to the city that Ladybug and Chat Noir would always defend them, it seemed like cheating to give them to you." After a moment she admitted, "And I actually felt like I could do the job after a bit." Left unsaid was that she wasn't sure that Alya wouldn't have immediately gone public with the whole superhero thing.

Shaking off her doubts, Marinette wondered aloud, "What about the museum made you not want to be my sidekick?"

"Weelll…" Alya seemed embarrassed, "I was thrilled with the idea that you were Ladybug, and I very nearly confronted you the minute that I'd found out. But your invitation to the museum was too good to pass up." Tucking her hair behind one ear, she continued, "I wanted you to _tell_ me you were Ladybug. Instead all we did was stare at hieroglyphs, and you didn't even try to tell me what your day job was." Her tone was accusing, but the look on her face was a bit more understanding than it had been earlier.

"Anyway," Alya continued, "I was about to wave the book in your face when the Akuma attacked." Again she paused with an annoyed look, "I do not like small enclosed spaces that are several thousand years old!" Marinette looked away guiltily, "I get that you needed to transform, but in the future please do not lock me in a sarcophagus to accomplish that task." After waiting a moment for Marinette to nod, Alya continued. "So I saw an opportunity to show you that I could help…" She trailed off guiltily.

"...And promptly got yourself caught." Finished Marinette. "Worse, you managed to get yourself caught by a villian who was trying to exchange your immortal soul."

Wincing at _that _reminder, Alya agreed, "Yeah, not my finest hour. The thing that really sealed it for me was how _little_ I could do to him." Narrowing her eyes at the memory Alya began to rant, "I mean really, I know a couple of martial arts." Marinette raised an eyebrow, she hadn't known that. "But this was ridiculous. It didn't matter what I did, he just didn't care. Don't even get me started on the way I was then _abandoned_ for a better prospect." She glanced at Marinette who had a bit of a disbelieving look on her face. "Don't get me wrong Mari, I appreciate not having my soul exchanged for Nefertiti's; and I'm glad you were willing to take my place. But after all the effort I'd gone to to try to escape, well, a girl's gotta have _some_ standards. He dumped me, just like that, when a better sacrifice came along." As Marinette listened to Alya begin to extol the virtues of her sacrifice, she had to wonder if her friend was entirely aware that being a sacrifice wasn't exactly a high aspiration, "...So it was kinda a combination of things," Alya finished, "I had tried to prove I could help you, and had instead been a hindrance in every aspect, I'd lost my only shred of proof that I'd had, and was already starting to doubt myself-" Here Marinette interrupted.

"What do you mean, you were doubting yourself? You'd seen my name hadn't you?"

Alya blinked, "Well yeah, but the longer I was away from the book, the more I doubted myself. It was only after I found my notes, which mentioned that I needed to ask you why your name was in the book, that I began to lose some of my doubts. It wasn't enough to let me overcome my fear that I was wrong. It was enough, however, that _I_ could at least believe it." Sighing Alya looked down at her lap, "It was enough that I tried to keep suspicion off of you as much as possible."

Sighing, Marinette got up and moved to her window. There was Alya's first excuse, misdirection.

That was why Alya never "found" her? Why her classmate's thousands of followers never bothered to check on the baker's daughter? Alya had simply been _trying_ to throw everyone off the scent?

"Mari?" she felt a hand on her back as her friend touched her. "Are-"

Whirling about Marinette hugged her friend, "Ayls, I'm so sorry." As a shocked Alya began to hug her back Marinette began to babble, "When you said that you had been defending me, all I could think of was the times you'd nearly caught me. The fact it consumed you enough to make you an akuma victim." She shuddered, remembering the terror she'd felt when Lady Wifi had grabbed her mask and pulled, "I wanted to tell you, but-"

"Mari, relax," Alya gently held her distraught friend, "I didn't know I could ever get you that mad." She eyed Marinette as her friend looked away, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks and a muttered, but not insincere "sorry" sent her way. Chuckling, Alya continued, "And I realize it was a bit stupid to tell you that I was trying to cover for you without giving you a bit of background. But hey, you're alive!" Pulling back, she looked at her friend, "You are alive right? Not a ghost that's here to escort me to afterlife?" laughing, Marinette shook her head. "Didn't think so."

Hugging her friend again, it was Alya's turn to giggle. "I guess the best part about having a thousand year old friend is that you can never die." She felt Marinette stiffen. Pulling back she looked at her friend, Marinette was avoiding her gaze, "Mari, you can't die? Right?"

Scratching the back of her head, Marinette decided that honesty sucked. True it was usually the best idea, but how do you tell your friend that you just died and came back to life. Deciding to start simple Marinette went with the assumption about her age, "Alya, I'm still your age."

"So you _can_ die?" The journalist knew how to read between the lines.

Marinette cringed, "I… kinda did… tonight actually."

Ayla's lunge was as forceful as Marinette's had been earlier, though the emotion behind it was the polar opposite. Feeling the shaking girl now trying to apparently squeeze the life out of her, Marinette patted her friend. "Ayls, can I get some air?" The hug decreased in intensity from rib-cracking to just rib-creaking. Clearly Alya wasn't letting go anytime soon.

Deciding that it would be best to get everything out all at once, Marinette began to explain, "I died in the blast that you saw, yes I did see you videoing the whole thing. When I died it was really weird, like my senses where hyperalert. Then I suddenly found myself dead," She paused, realizing that explaining that she'd been sent to hell and made a deal with the devil himself might not be a good idea, "The...being in charge of me sent me back in exchange for me defeating Hawkmoth."

The slightly muffled voice of her friend drifted over her shoulder, "If you aren't immortal, why was ladybug depicted on that hieroglyph?"

Smiling as she thought of her kwami, she felt a sudden, rising panic as a thought struck her. She tore herself from her friends embrace and her hands flew to her face, "Oh _shit_! Tikki is going to _kill_ me!"

"Mari!"

"No she won't kill me, she's too good for that. More like she's going to find out that you knew and use kwami mind control to make you forget, and she'll be so disappointed in me she'll take away my Miraculous and force me to stop being Ladybug, and of course she won't have time to find another Ladybug before the next akuma so Hawkmoth will get her, and of course he'll crush Chat Noir, and then he'll have ultimate power, and he'll take over the world, and-" Alya had a hand over her friends mouth.

"Girl, _chill._" As soon as she was sure Marinette wasn't going to continue her doomsday prophecy Alya removed her hand. Ignoring the questions on the tip of her tongue, foremost being, what was "kwami mind control," she calmed her friend. "Mari, it's okay. I understand. But who, or what, is a Tikki?"

"That would be me!" a tiny voice declared from the window.

**Chapter Title Credit: Unknown.**

**R&R**


	6. The Few, or the One

**A/N: Don't own. On with the show.**

"_I am not your messenger. Remember that."_

"_Your job will be complete as soon as she asks for your help."_

"_Until then I'm your servant?"_

"_I prefer gofer."_

"_They call me the Prince of Darkness, fear to say my name, I'm reviled across the world."_

"_And you are here trying to make up for that. I'll be dealing with that infernal Demon tomorrow, you've worked with him. What can I expect?"_

"_I am acting in an official capacity to him and cannot answer that without his leave."_

"_You're joking."_

"_Perhaps. Perhaps not. As you pointed out, he __**used**_ _to work for me."_

"_Ugh. The king of lawyers, in his element."_

"_Oh cheer up, it's not every day we get together for a major trial. You might win one someday too."_

"_With what lawyers?"_

* * *

_"...Ain't gonna spend the rest of my life quietly fading away." _

_Games People Play- Alan Parsons Project_

* * *

Alarm clocks were torture devices.

Adrien may not have been completely awake last night, but he was fairly certain that he had set his alarm for six, not five. Of course he was also concerned that his partner was… dead? Alive? A zombie hungering for human flesh? Whatever she was, Ladybug needed him. Rolling out of bed he prepared to call Plagg and transform, when the little kwami appeared right in front of him.

"Go get breakfast, we need to talk."

Adrien was usually fine with the bossy kwami doing whatever he wanted, but this morning he was in no mood to humor him.

"Plagg. Claw-!" he was interrupted mid word by something that felt a lot like a cotton ball hitting him in the face.

"Ki-Adrien," the boy's eyes went wide. Plagg _never_ used his given name. "Right now, we are in so much trouble, my bosses have put us on probation. That means _no transforming_." The kwami stared at him, "I got you up early because everyone else is either asleep, or busy, counting on you being asleep for another hour."

As Plagg turned away Adrien felt anger begin to bubble up. His friend, the person who always had his back was out on the streets, why was the kwami suddenly starting to care about his job _now_? Plagg had always seemed to dismiss work as Chat Noir as unimportant, why did he suddenly care about the rules. "Plagg she's out there! I know it. We have to find her."

Growling his kwami turned back to him, "You think I don't know that? You think I don't want to find my opposite, knowing that she's going to be conflicted about this?" The kwami had begun to fly closer to Adrien, tiny voice getting louder with each word, "Do you think, that if I had a choice I would sit on my paws **waiting**?"

The blonde watched as the tiny being close its eyes, and take a deep breath before it continued, "Adrien we are in so much trouble right now it scares _me._ I have called in a few favors and gotten us some help that _should_ save your position as Chat Noir, save me from losing my position as your kwami, and, if those things don't happen, hopefully at least save our souls." Opening his eyes Plagg continued, "Until tonight, we're grounded. Meet me downstairs and I'll explain just how afraid you should be."

Feeling his stomach begin to clench, Adrien decided to get an idea how bad things were. "Plagg, what makes this so terrible?"

"Let me put it to you this way, Adrien. The reason I sent us home last night was because Satan himself visited Paris." Watching his chosen pale, Plagg debated on how honest he should be, before deciding to go whole hog, "He also visited the house with the court summons for us." As the boy sat down on his bed, Plagg turned to fly downstairs, "As soon as you're dressed I'll go over the letter we've got."

Adrien flew into his clothes.

* * *

Marinette opened her eyes.

A vision of chaos assaulted her senses.

Closing her eyes, she wondered if she could will away the mess that had taken over her room, drifting back to the moment everything had gone wrong…

Tikki floated in the window, her eyes alight with pride, her hands on her hips, and her chest puffed out in what was easily recognized as a classic superhero pose.

Marinette's jaw was hanging slightly open in shock, surprise and confusion evident in her features, "Tikki… what..?"

Alya hel no such feelings however and responded the way most of the female of the species tended to when they saw something tiny and adorable.

She squealed.

"She's so cute!" Tikki looked herself over, before nodding.

"Of course I am, Alya." Flying in a mostly straight line to Marinette, she looked the young girl in the eye very seriously, before giggling. "You've been bad, Marinette," The kwami sang between her giggles, "I said don't tell anyone. You did though and that's bad," The little kwami touched her nose with a grin, "B-a-a-d Marinette! Boop!" With that the little being had flown across the room, leaving poor Marinette even more confused than when she first arrived.

Alya looked away from her friend, biting back giggles that threatened to spew forth if she continued to look at Marinette's face? "She seems a bit..?" She started, trailing off when she realized she wasn't quite sure what word would fit the little red being.

Inhaling deeply Marinette made a face, "Oh my gosh!" Alya glanced back to see a mounting horror on the bluette's face, "She's drunk! I can still smell it!"

That was too much for Alya, who sank to the floor, laughing.

"Alya! This is serious!" Marinette cried, "If Tikki is drunk she can't transform, at least I don't think so, and if she can't transform then if Ladybug is needed I can't help, and the Chat will be on his own, and Hawkmoth will win and-" Marinette was cut off by a shaking Alya, who was still laughing to hard to speak.

Alya slowly got herself calmed down, (not helped by Tikki, who was now flying 'kwami airlines' complete with air traffic control and sound effects) though Marinette was trying to stop the flood of thoughts going through her mind, it wasn't working so well.

Seeing her friend was starting to tear up at some of the thoughts she was having Alya finally took control! "Mari, I'll stay the night and help catch your kwami. We can make her some coffee and hopefully that will wake her up." Watching Marinette relax, Alya reached for her phone, and felt her hand close around… nothing?

Turning around slowly Alya glared at the floating little devil who had a new 'hoverboard.'

"Tikki, can I please have that?...Please give me that… Get back here you little Devil!" The last was yelled as the kwami proved that you're never too old to stick out your tongue and maturely taunt your opponent, before turning and racing away.

"Wheeeeeeee!"

"You little bug, give me that!"

Crash!

"You missed!"

"I'll show you!"

Bang!

"Careful, doors can be unpredictable!"

"You did that on purpose!"

Thump!

"Close one!"

"Get over here and I'll show you close!"

"Up now!"

Marinette was about to step in to save her room from being (further) destroyed, when Tikki, riding the phone like a hoverboard flew up to the ceiling fan and began pointing and laughing at Alya, who was just a bit too short to reach.

After the fifth time she tried to jump to catch the fanblade Alya finally came and sat down next to Marinette.

"I can't get it." The redhead flopped back on the lounge.

Marinette watched the fanblade slowly spinning from Alyas attempts at reobtaining her phone, a plan slowly forming in her mind.

"Hey Ayls, you don't mind if I go after that phone too, right?" She checked with her friend, who half nodded as she stared at the ceiling, plotting Tikkis demise no doubt.

Deciding that was probably the best she was going to get from the technophile Marinette got up and flipped the light switch in her room.

"Whoa, the ground is moving more than it was before!"

"Mari that's my phone up there!" Alya started toward the light switch when Tikki said something that made her look up.

"Surf's up, baby!"

Marinette followed her friends horrified gaze, to where the kwami was now defying the laws of science. Standing on the phone, she had her arms out and was _surfing_ the length of the fanblade.

"Oh yeah! Who's the Big Kwahuna!"

...Marinette remembered the havoc that followed in the same manner she remembered her battles. It had been loud, nerve wracking, and hectic. At some point Alya had borrowed Marinette's phone to let her mother know she was with Marinette, before heading back into the fray. Mari was amused at first until Alya stopped letting things get in her way, posters, projects, furniture, none were safe in the wake of the vlogger.

Though Tikki's commentary had been funny at first, eventually Marinette had joined the chase; partially to save the remains of her room, and partially because the little bug was starting to annoy _her_. Both girls had been so intent on catching the phone thief they hadn't noticed when Marinette's parents had come home. Racing up stairs they had found Alya lunging at Marinette, where the little red kwami had dropped the phone. ("Give me my phone!") Putting it down to kids being kids her parents had gone back downstairs. Though the words exchanged between them had separated the girls faster than scolding them would have.

"To think, you wanted a boy." Her mother had said, "He would have been even more work."

"Somehow, I feel that if we _had _had a boy, the idea of Alya jumping all over him would be looked upon a tad more suspiciously than merely a stolen phone." Was her father's chuckling reply, "especially with the state of that room."

Mortified, the two girls had prepared for bed immediately, before finally drifting off after many apologies, reassurances, and confirming the "blasted little red demon" was actually asleep; Marinette personally doubted Alya's new name would go over well with the Kwami.

...Speaking of the blasted bug.

Marinette's eyes flew open, Tikki wasn't next to her pillow like she usually was. Nor was she on the desk in her other usual place. Sitting up, Marinette looked around her room and winced. Clean up was going to suck.

No matter, Tikki was missing, and needed to be found _now_. Marinette was still feeling a bit put out after her Kwami had left her last night, and then she'd come home absolutely smashed...Marinette wanted answers. Tossing the blankest off of her, she ignored the mumbled 'five more minutes' from the girl who was still asleep on the other side of the bed.

No wait, that wasn't Alya's voice.

Turning to look at her friend she noticed a red splotch nestling into Alya.

Bingo.

Grabbing the splotch, and ignoring the squawk of protest from her friend as she brushed her side, Marinette looked at the kwami now resting on her palm.

"Bright," whined Tikki, "Turn it off."

Glancing at Alya, who was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Marinette responded, "Do you mean the sun?"

"Sure, don't care, turn it off." Tikki was still half asleep.

"Why don't you get her some water and food?" Alya asked, "I can take care of the light issue."

Although she was a bit reluctant to leave Tikki in the hands of anyone but herself, Marinette knew her parents were probably up already and it would be easier to simply run down and sneak out a snack and some water, than to try to hide a bright red kwami.

"Yeah alright," She agreed, then pointed to her dresser, "There's blankets in the bottom drawer, that should cut down on some of the light." '_Not like there's much of it right now, it's barely six o'clock'_ she finished in her head.

"Trust me," Alya grinned, "I can take care of this."

Ignoring the sudden nervousness at Alya's feral grin, Marinette went down to get some food.

Her parents were already hard at work in the main bakery, her mother singing one of her childhood songs, and her father singing along occasionally with his butchered chinese.

Chuckling at her parents antics, Marinette went about getting things from the kitchen; cookies, water, some fruit for herself and Alya, daydreaming as she did so. "_I wonder if Adrian and I would be so good together,"_ She thought, '_Both of us compliment each other already, I imagine if we got together we'd be a great couple.'_ As she finished her fruit cutting, she sighed, "_Of course that's assuming I could ever get a sentence out of my mouth in the proper order, or using the right words."_Marinette winced as she put the fruit, water, and cookies on a plate. Alya still hadn't let her forget some of her worst mistakes, 'I'll be taking the coleslaw home' indeed.

Heading back up the stairs to her room, she paused at the door, trying to make out the voices on the other side. One was promising vengeance, and the other seemed to be trying to speak, before being taken over by powerful giggles. Preparing herself for the worst, Marinette opened the door, and squinted into her room which was lit up like a christmas tree.

Every light was on, and the window shades were wide open, for all the good it did (it was only a bit before sunrise after all) and in the center sat a tiny kwami who appeared to be tied up with string.

"Alya if you don't let me go I swear to Time I will tear you into pieces myself." Tikki yelled. Alya was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Spotting her chosen, Tikki decided to change targets, "Marinette, how could you leave me with her?" Marinette tried not to laugh, she really did, but the tiny pink mask painted over Tikki's face eventually got to be too much for the girl. She started giggling as she crossed the room, intentionally not looking at Tikki. As she set down the plate, she could hear the kwami muttering dire threats under her breath, speaking of betrayal, pain, and heartache. Deciding that she did need to do _something_ she walked over and flipped the lights off, leaving the room in a semi dark state, that would hopefully be better for her kwami. Then she turned to her best friend,

"Alya, remember the story of David and Goliath?" Her friend nodded and seemed to gain a bit of control over herself, though the giggles hadn't stopped completely. "So how did you do it?" Marinette asked, as her friend crossed over to the dresser where the snacks lay.

"Simple," Chuckled Alya, "I used some of the wire you keep on your desk."

"Weird," the other girl commented as she went to check on the kwami, "I've seen her interact with metals before, and she didn't have any trouble with it."

"It's a closed circuit of iron Marinette," Tikki snapped irritably, "It's known as a magic resistant metal for a reason, can you please help me out now?"

"So it what? Keeps your powers away from you?" Marinette asked curiously as she untied her friend.

"In a very large nutshell," Tikki snapped, "It also hurts. It's not going to affect _you _when you're transformed, and as long as it has a beginning and an end that don't touch, it won't affect me. But," She paused to glare at the apologetic Alya, "When it's turned into a circle it is a bit of a dampener." The kwami glanced at the cookies, before leaping headfirst into a glass of water.

"I'm sorry Tikki, I didn't know…" Alya started, before being waved off by the little red being.

"It's not exactly something I'd expect you to know, though with all of the 'Cold Iron' myths out there I suppose you should have at least suspected. Besides," Tikki continued after dipping a back into the water for a moment, "I'm suffering a major hangover at the moment and didn't exactly make myself clear as to _why_ I wanted to escape, so that's another point in your favor." Glancing at Marinette, Tikki asked, "Why, is she not surprised that there is a kwami that looks like a ladybug with her best friend?"

"Well," Marinette began, hoping against hope this wasn't her last day as a superhero, "Alya apparently figured out that I was Ladybug shortly after she opened my history book and saw my name in it." Tikki's eyes flew open in surprise.

"Alya? You knew? Of course you knew." She waved her hand as Alya opened her mouth to explain, "This explains a lot, why your voice comparing software actually 'worked,' why you insisted that you could 'cover' for ladybug." She sighed as she shook her head and drank more water, "I suppose you wanted to be her sidekick originally? Then when you were nearly exchanged for Nefertiti you rethought." The kwami sighed at Alya's incredulous nod, "Alya, you're not the first person to find out their best friend is in fact the superhero everyone is raving over." Pausing to drink the rest of the water, Tikki closed her eyes in apparent bliss and murmured, "The light will hurt today, but the headache should be gone." Opening her eyes she continued, "Alya, I know you care about Marinette, and I think you should know, had anything happened that required another miraculous to be released, you were the top of the list. As a matter of fact," The kwami winced as she looked sideways at her chosen, "last night I was planning to arrange for you to find my miraculous." Shaking her head the kwami moved to attack a cookie on the plate.

"What!?"

Both girls looked at the kwami in shock. Sighing, Tikki put down her cookie, "Marinette I had a long talk with Lucifer last night-"

Here Alya interrupted, "The Devil? Why was he here? Where did you meet him? How did-?" Marinette covered her mouth with a single finger before motioning for Tikki to continue.

"He was here on behalf of my boss." Began Tikki, shooting a grateful look at her chosen, "I had called to find out what had happened to Mariette, and it was Lucifer who `picked up the phone` so to speak."

This time it was Marinette who spoke up, "Why didn't you just ask me?" She demanded, "I wanted to tell you everything, but you just flew off and got drunk."

"Marinette, you are my chosen, and I'm very fond of you," Tikki began, "But there are many things in this plane of existence, and others, that would happily seize your body for their own purposes." Marinette blanched, but Tikki continued, "I wanted to go before whatever was in your body convinced me to stay." Sighing as she shook her head Tikki explained, " I was-I **am, **glad to see you, Marinette, but Kwami have to trust their chosen. If they don't, the powers will be more chaotic, like how many akuma still have their free will." Looking ashamed the little bug flew up to Marinette's hand, laying her own tiny palm on top she looked her chosen in the eye, "Mari, I was devastated when I felt you die, to have you come back was like a dream come true… I just didn't want it to become a nightmare." The kwami finished in a whisper.

Marinette gave the kwami a reassuring hug, "Last night was a really bad night for everyone-" Alya chuckled and cut in,

"Yeah, Marinette may have nearly killed me, but you stole my phone, it was a _really_ bad night."

That got a laugh out of everyone present, and Marinette gasped as she checked her phone. "Alya, it's almost seven! I have to get down and watch the bakery, my parents are catering for the mayor today." As she began to race around her room, Alya laughed, "Girl chill! Get dressed, and I'll help you downstairs."

Pulling on her clothes, Marinette said jokingly, "I don't know Ayls, can you math?"

"Pah, mathing is easy, two plus four is five! See easy! It's when you start mathing and wording at the same time that things get hard." The redhead ginned as she began to get dressed.

Marinette giggled, "Well, with your math skills we should have a lot of repeat customers, though our profit margins may take a bit of a hit." Racing downstairs, a little red blur flying into her jacket, she called over her shoulder, "I'll see you in a few."

* * *

"Come on, man, we've only got a few hours before your old man wants you back."

Adrien was all for hanging out with Nino, but he was still feeling down after reading his letter from… wherever it was, Plagg's boss apparently.

"Nino, I appreciate all you're doing for me-" he began, before his best interrupted him.

"Adrien. I know something is bothering you," Nino held his hand up as Adrien opened his mouth. "Don't deny it; it's true." This was said in such a matter-of-fact way Adrien shut his mouth in surprise, as Nino picked up where he'd left off. "I know you have secrets, and I'm not going to sit you down with tissues, a box of chocolates, and a bunch of sappy movies while you tell me everything. I _am_ however going to do what I can to distract you from the blasted problems you carry around like the world's safety is your responsibility."

A bit stunned, Adrien allowed himself to be led around town, while Nino told him about DJing, school, and football.

It was the last subject that found them in a good natured disagreement as they walked into a shop, "...Look, dude, you're nuts if you think Henry was better than Zidane." Nino was saying as they entered, the smell of bread assaulting their senses. Adrien looked around, were they in a bakery?

"Nino!" Alya called from behind the register. "And Adrien too? Oh Marinette will be thrilled, she's in the back. She'll be out in a moment." After a brief hug hug with her boyfriend, Alya turned to Adrien, "So, Nino, got you out on parole, huh?" She slugged her boyfriend in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Nino rubbed his shoulder. "Man, Alya, that hurt!"

"Get over it, you big baby." Alya said with a grin. "So seriously, Adrien, what have you been up to all day?" she said, giving Nino a one armed hug.

"Nothing," Adrien sighed, "My dad really hasn't let me do much lately."

"That sucks!" Alya was not pleased, "Do you want us to come and talk to him for you?"

Adrien let out a weak chuckle, "The last time someone tried that we all got caught in bubbles and we had to have Chat Noir and Ladybug rescue everyone." He winced at the happy memories.

"Yeah… well," Nino shrugged, his face a bit red. "I really need to thank them, that was not cool." He shuddered a bit and Adrien watched Alya give him a supportive hug.

As much as he felt like an outsider intruding on an intimate moment, Adrien understood a bit more about relationships than most people gave him credit for. Alya and Nino may have been drawn together because of being locked in a cage, (he'd laughed at Nino for quite awhile when he'd heard that) but their shared experiences as akuma victims had strengthened them beyond belief, and had made them a truly formidable couple.

As the hug began to stretch into uncomfortable territory and Adrien started to think about reminding them he was still there, a voice drifted out from the back of the bakery.

"Hey, Ayla, I finally got the bread in the- Adrien!?" The resulting crash caused Alya and Nino to finally separate, as everyone looked at the blushing mess that was Marinette.

Not sure what else to do, Adrien moved to help his friend pick up the trays she had dropped. He could hear the snickering coming from behind him and had to keep from snapping at his two friends. He understood that they found Marinette's painfully obvious crush an endless source of amusement, but he honestly thought that her friends should be a little more supportive. Yes, she said some funny things, telling him she was going to take the 'coleslaw' home was among the funniest things he'd ever heard, but he definitely didn't laugh where she could see him. He knew that it would hurt her if she saw him laughing at her, and, while he wouldn't let himself return her feelings, she was still a friend; he didn't hurt his friends.

"Here, let me help," he picked up several of the pans while she grabbed the rest.

"Sorry, clumsy the dropped I Adrien pans I'm!" Marinette's eyes grew comically wide "I mean-!" she started when Alya finally came to help.

"I think she means, 'I'm sorry, Adrien, I dropped the pans." Marinette let out a bit of a squeak that was apparently agreement because the poor girl turned an even brighter shade of red before nodding and bolting back into the kitchen. Adrien sighed before turning to his friends.

"I know that you guys care about Marinette, and I know that her klutzy actions can be funny." He started. "But she's obviously really self-conscious around me, please don't laugh at her because of it."

Looking rather ashamed, Alya and Nino nodded sheepishly. Sighing again Adrian realized that he was still carrying a pile of pans.

"Marinette would probably appreciate having those back," Alya observed.

"Why was she bringing them out here anyway?" Nino asked. His interactions with Marinette had always been confined to outside the bakery.

"I was going to swap out the displays," a voice said. Marinette had returned carrying a new stack of pans. "I usually take the old display off, before replacing them with fresh stuff." Motioning to Adrien, cheeks flushed, she asked "Could you...well… there's a sink with hot water in the back… and I'd love it if you could… um… you know… toss those in." Refusing to look at him again, she went to the bakery and spread out the pans, moving the few pastries that hadn't sold onto them.

"Um, sure." Adrien said, before Nino interjected.

"Let me, man. If I know Mari, she's got something in the back with my name on it." Grabbing the pans out of Adrien's hands, he raced into the back.

"Oh shit." Mari raced after him, pans carefully balanced. As she vanished into the back Adrien and Alya laughed.

"That girl can identify a threat to her pastries by instinct I swear." Alya grinned.

"Yeah, she's something else," Adrien agreed, only to see a strange look on Alya's face.

"Adrien, we're pretty good friends, right? So I need to ask, do you like Marinette." Alya asked slowly.

Confused, he responded, "Alya, I don't think it's humanly possible to dislike Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She's nice, caring, and smart." Alya shook her head.

"Not what I meant Agreste. I mean do you _like_ her."

'_Oh,_' Adrien thought, '_That sort of like.'_

"I don't know," He admitted, "I have feelings for someone else that I'm working through at the moment, but," he added when it looked like Alya was about to cut in, "I don't think it would be too hard. After all," he joked, "there's a running rumor that our entire class has romantic designs on her in some way." He and Alya both laughed at that, though Alya's sounded a bit forced.

Alya rolled her eyes, "What time do you have to get home?"

Checking his watch Adrien blanched, "Oh, you know, ten minutes."

"Call your bodyguard." Alya instructed, "I'll let Nino and Mari know what happened, they'll understand."

A quick call and less than a minute later Gorilla had pulled up in front of the bakery.

"Damn, he's fast." Adrien muttered, only for Nino to disagree.

"Bro, he's your _bodyguard,_" the DJ pointed out, "He's like, going to defend you no matter what, it's his job man."

Marinette agreed, "He would be a pretty bad bodyguard if he wasn't close enough to help you if he needed it."

Alya had the last word, "It explains why you aren't always being mobbed by fans and paparazzi, he probably keeps them from bothering you."

Adrien let his shoulders sag, "I guess, but I still wish that I could have a bit more freedom."

Nino bumped his shoulder, "At least you know your old man cares enough about you to keep you safe dude."

'_Keep his investment safe more like.'_ Adrien thought bitterly, but held his tongue. His friends were only trying to help after all. Instead he said, "I should go, I've got a long night ahead of me."

"Oh, what's going on?" Marinette asked, curious.

Adrien thought quickly, "I-um, I've got a night shoot tonight, it's gonna be a long one." He turned to Nino, "I can have The Gorilla drop you off after me," he offered, but Nino shook his head.

"Nah man, I need to meet my family at the park in like ten minutes, thanks though." Adrien nodded before heading saying his farewells and heading out the door. As soon as he was in the car, Plagg floated out.

"You aren't wrong kid, it _is_ going to be a long night."

* * *

As Nino waved goodbye, Marinette turned to her best friend. "Did you know Adrien was coming over?" She demanded.

Alya shrugged, "Yeah." At Marinette's glare, she defended, "Girl I know how much you crush on him. When Nino said he was out cheering him up, I figured you could help." She chuckled, "I did not expect him to show up when you were in the back."

Marinette blushed, "Yeah, he must think I'm a total klutz now. Why did I have to drop those pans?" She whined to her friend. Alya rolled her eyes.

"He wasn't too happy with Nino and I," the redhead admitted. "He reminded us that we shouldn't be laughing at you." Alya said sheepishly giving her friend a hug, "I'm sorry about that."

Marinette hugged her back, though Alya could feel the heat of her friend's blush on her neck. "It's fine, Ayls, I know some of the things I say can be pretty funny." Alya snorted in agreement. "I just don't get it, though." Marinette pulled out of the hug and began to pace. "I mean, I can talk to him fine usually. It's just, when I don't expect him I just lose my mind."

Alya nodded in agreement, "You got it bad, girl."

Tikki floated out of Marinette's jacket, grinning. "Oooh ask her about the time at the movies when-" the Kwami was cut off by Marinette's hand.

"Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed at the same time as Alya said "Awww," as what promised to be good teasing material was snatched away.

"Anyway," Marinette said quickly, "didn't you have something for me to read Tikki?"

The little Kwami's eyes bugged out. "Oh my gosh! I'll be right back." The little red being zoomed out of the room full speed, returning a moment later, an envelope in her paws.

Marinette examined the envelope. On one side it said Tikki, and the other was sealed with wax, an image of the miraculous seal imprinted in it. "Tikki, who is this from?" She said, as she prepared to break the wax.

"I think it's from my boss." The kwami said nervously. "But if it is, I don't know why it wasn't given to me last night."

"Do you know what it's about?" Alya asked, as Marinette bgan to scan the letter.

"Chat Noir." The dark haired girl said shortly, and Tikki nodded.

"Did you see what happened to the akuma last night?" Tikki asked, as Marinette went back to reading. When Alya indicated she hadn't, Tikki sighed. "He didn't have anyone to cleanse the akuma so, in his anger over Mari's death, he crushed it, completely destroying it."

Alya looked surprised. "I suppose that makes sense in a way, he is the embodiment of destruction. If he didn't have a way to cleanse the akuma he would only be able to destroy it." Tikki shook her head.

"He could have captured it, he could have ignored it." Alya opened her mouth to argue, and Tikki cut her off. "If you blame it on his 'nature' I will really lose my temper, Alya Cesaire. At that point you are blaming _his_ kwami, someone I have known for much longer then you could even imagine." She glanced at Marinette who was mostly through the letter, "Why do they want us there? I certainly will have to claim a conflict of interest if they want me to testify, prosecute, or sit on the jury."

Marinette glanced at the little bug, "They want character witnesses, so they want Ladybug to be available."

"Hold on." Alya rubbed her temples, "Okay, so I'm on board with the whole godly hierarchy-"

"Celestials," Tikki interjected, "gods or G-O-D God are a different matter entirely. We definitely aren't worshipped, so we're Celestials."

"Okay, _Celestial_ hierarchy then," Alya corrected herself, "I get that. I don't get why you can't be part of the proceedings Tikki."

Tikki sighed, "I am both the opposite, and the companion to the kwami Plagg of the destruction miraculous. This means I am not objective, and my testimony will be biased." She glanced at Marinette who had finished the letter, and looked like she was going to ask a question. "Before you ask, Mari, it's different for you because you're human. Yes, it's a double standard, but there are reasons that I've never been told. If I had to take a guess, it's because George wanted it that way."

Marinette had closed her mouth when her question had been prematurely answered, but Alya had to ask. "Who's George?"

Tikki rubbed her forehead as if she was trying to lose her headache. "George is the one who makes the rules, that's all I know. Now I am going to go rest. I'm going to be accompanying Marinette tonight, it'll be expected." With that, the little being zipped through the kitchen door toward the living quarters.

Alya turned to her best friend. "I need to talk to her before she goes to sleep, I'll be right back, I promise." With that, she bolted after the little being, not giving Marinette a chance to respond.

When she got to Marinette's room she paused, she wasn't sure where the little red kwami had gone. Deciding to just start simple, she called out. "Tikki?"

"Yes?" A little red blob flew out from on top of Marinette's pillow, "Is Marinette alright?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about." Alya said, crossing her arms. "Marinette is one of the best people on this planet. She will do the right thing no matter what, at any cost to herself." She narrowed her eyes at the little floating being, "This includes her grades, her dreams, her mental health, and… her life." Alya raised an eyebrow as the little kwami shifted uncomfortably, "You may have explained why you decided to leave Marinette last night after she had literally died, but I don't forgive you for it. Marinette is kind to a fault, which is why she did."

Alya motioned to the chaise. "Sit, Tikki, this might take a minute." As the two sat, Alya examined the kwami.

Tikki was about the size of her palm, not including the two antenne on the to of her head. Although they had given her a bath with the dishes earlier, the pink paint from earlier was still faintly visible. A quick once-over gave the illusion of a child's toy, but the bright blue eyes threw it off. They might appear childlike and innocent, but there was an underlying hint of steel that illustrated that this was indeed an ancient being of immense power. '_David and Goliath',_ Alya remembered Marinette warning her. At the moment, staring into those eyes, she felt more like David, size difference aside. She cleared her throat.

"Tikki, my friend has sacrificed nearly _everything_ for you." Alya began, pleased to see a bit of guilt flash in the kwami's eyes, "As of last night, she did the unthinkable for a human. She died. Had she not come back, I just may have chucked you to the bottom of the river when you popped out."

"I do care about her." Tikki hurried to point out.

Alya shrugged dismissively, "My sisters cared about their goldfish. They cried when they died, and a week later Goldie and Sparkle were memories while they begged my dad for a puppy." Holding up her hand, Alya continued. "Just because you _care_ doesn't keep my friend alive. I've been watching my best friend suffer from PTSD from the earrings she took for years, how have you helped with that? What did you do to help her when she was depressed for almost half of a year?" Alya caught her voice raising and stopped. It was no good to get mad, she had to keep her head on straight if she was going to get through this without becoming a victim of 'kwami mind control.' She still wasn't sure what that was, but Marinette had been afraid of it, so it was something she'd rather avoid.

Tikki stared at her for a moment. "She's lucky to have a friend like you."

Alya snorted, "Damn right she is, and if I didn't know her well enough to know she'd dredge the whole Sine herself if she had to, I'd march downstairs and take those earrings and throw them in the river myself, Hawkmoth be damned." She glared at the kwami, "You have single handedly _destroyed_ my friend's future by enlisting her in this war of yours. When this is over, you're going to go back to sleep until you're needed again, Mari though? She's going to be trying to get a job, or trying to go to a college with a school record full of unexplained absences and failed tests. Her dream of being a designer will fall flat, _because of you_." Alya spat the last words, ignoring the flinching from the kwami.

Tikki held Alya's gaze for a moment, floating up beside her, before she spoke. "Marinette will be alright."

Alya had to take a deep breath before she could speak without saying something vulgar or stupid, "You had better be right kwami, because if you fail to keep her safe I will-"

"I know," Tikki interrupted, "You'll throw me in the river."

Alya shook her head, a smile playing on her lips, "No little celestial, I will reveal to everyone _what_ you are, and how you work. I know there are pictures on Mari's phone. I will publish them. People will search for you, and eventually governments will demand that you be handed over to them. If you aren't lucky enough to find yourself locked in a warehouse, then your life will be truly heinous."

"You wouldn't dare," Tikki whispered, antenna shaking.

"Marinette had better be as fine as you claim she will be." Alya said, as she stood up, "Understood?"

"Alya you can't-"

"Am I understood?

"Yes."

"Good." Alya was standing next to the trapdoor, "I'm going to get out of here, but I have to ask, what's kwami mind control."

"Huh?"

"Can you like read my mind and then erase it?"

"No, why-."

"Marinette."

"Oh."

"Then I want to say this," Alya stared at the little bug, "You've fucked my best friend's life up, I hope you know what you're doing because what you're doing to her is beyond cruel."

With that Alya turned and departed, the noise of the trapdoor hiding the kwami's response from her.

"You don't know the half of it."

* * *

Alya returned to find Marinette staring forlornly at the paper in front of her, "So what's the letter say?"

Marinette looked at her tiredly, "I'm going to Rome. Tonight."

**Chapter Title Credit: S'chn T'gai Spock, the full quote can be found by asking your local Trekkie.**

**R&R**

**BTW: One shot shoutout. Akuma Talks. It takes place _during_ this chapter, but is released separately.** **It's under my profile**


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